Australian firebrand Nick Kyrgios was disqualified from the Italian Open after an expletive-laden rant on Thursday as defending champion Rafael Nadal swept into the third round along with top seed Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

Kyrgios grabbed the headlines when he suffered a spectacular meltdown on Court Three against Norwegian qualifier Casper Ruud.

The controversial 24-year-old, who had marked his presence in Rome by criticising Djokovic and Nadal in an interview on Wednesday, starting arguing with the umpire in the third set.

World number 36 Kyrgios had levelled the match at one set all but was given a game penalty early on in the third set for swearing.

His response was to kick out at a water bottle before throwing a chair onto the court, packing his bag and then storming off court, shouting I am fucking done’’

Kyrgios was automatically disqualified with Ruud winning 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 2-1 to advance to the third round against former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro.

Kyrgios had already been at the centre of controversy during Wednesday’s washout when he told the NCR Tennis Podcast that Djokovic had “a sick obsession with wanting to be liked” and that the Serb’s post-match celebration was “cringeworthy”.

– Osaka clinches Roland Garros top seed –
In the women’s competition, world number one Naomi Osaka fought back after losing her serve early to ease past Dominika Cibulkova 6-3, 6-3 against the 33rd-ranked Slovak who she also beat last week in Madrid.

Osaka, the US Open and Australian Open champion, reached the third round in Rome for the first time in three appearances.

She was at risk of losing her world number one ranking to Simona Halep but the Romanian was knocked out by Czech teenager Marketa Vondrousova losing 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 having needed to win the tournament to regain top spot she last held in mid-January.

Halep’s defeat also guarantees Osaka’s top seed at the French Open.

Next up for the Japanese player on the clay of the Foro Italico is Romania’s Mihaela Buzarnescu.